Stolen Heart
by CArulez
Summary: It's been a year since Cammie last saw Zach. She goes on a mission to save the teens of New York, and meets a few familiar figures of her past... Lots of drama. Zammie.
1. Chapter 1

It's has been exactly 1 year, 2 weeks, 3 days, 15 hours, 7 minutes, and 32 seconds since I last saw Zachary Goode. My internal clock screamed as soon as I opened my eyes one Monday morning. But who's counting right? Oh, yeah, since I am a highly trained spy that goes to Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Women, secretly known as the best spy school in the world (probably, I didn't know about Blackthorne), I am. And honestly, I missed Zach. I missed everything about him, his cockiness, his toughness, and his sarcastic and snide remarks… I pushed those thoughts aside. I didn't know when or where I would see him again. I focused on the grey stone ceiling above me, studying the familiar cracks, and realized more than felt a strange, fuzzy feeling in my stomach, and somehow knew something big would happen today. A picture of Peter Parker crouching down and saying, "My Spidey Senses are tingling!" popped into my head, and I knew my "Spy Senses" were tingling. I rolled out of bed, and caught Bex's eye. Just one look told me she felt that strange feeling as well. Yes, something big was going to happen.

…

"Is it just me or is Macey acting really weird?" I asked Bex as we walked to Cove Ops later on that day. The morning had passed with no real surprises, other than a COW pop quiz that was too easy. I'd seen Macey come out of the headmistress' (also my mother) office, a look of deep concentration, worry, and excitement plastered on her face. She walked right past Liz, not even stopping to say hi like she normally would have. Since then we'd only seen glimpses of her, weaving quickly through the crowd. That would've been okay, except for the fact she was heading in the opposite direction of her classes, and not meeting our eyes.

"She's been acting really strange. I think something is going on," Bex muttered. We entered Sublevel Two, only to find Mr. Solomon standing at the front of the classroom with his jacket on. I bit my lip. Three minutes and two seconds later, the rest of our Cove Ops class arrived. Mr. Solomon smiled. He held up eight familiar black blindfolds.

"You should be familiar with this procedure, ladies." He said, handing us each a blindfold. "With your blindfolds on, go outside and meet by the helicopter pad. Remember, I'll be watching, so no peeking. That means you, Ms. Walters."

I slipped my blindfold on, and was enveloped in darkness. Quickly and effortlessly, I made my way out of the school. I could hear Bex behind me, and immediately knew she was eight feet behind me. As soon as I reached the field that served as the helicopter pad, I heard Mr. Solomon's voice.

"Well done, Ms. Morgan," he said. I was first. Well, I knew the school like the back of my hand, if not better. Two minutes and twenty-one seconds later, every single member of Sublevel Two had gotten to the helicopter pad. We were loaded into the helicopter, and were flown around for thirty-eight minutes and sixteen seconds. Then we were pulled into a van, and were driving on unfamiliar roads. This trip reminded me of that trip to DC, where I'd first met Zach… I breathed in Bex's familiar perfume, just like a year ago…

"Alright ladies, you proved that you know your surroundings pretty well. Today you're going to have to blend into another surrounding, and at the same time, you have to stop Alexei Zaronsky. Who is Alexei Zaronsky, Ms. Lee?" Mr. Solomon's voice broke the silence, and I felt Bex jolt awake.

"Alexei Zaronsky, one of the CIA's top wanted, unsuccessfully tried to bomb Stanford University seven years ago, a scientist and an inventor, age 46 this year," Kim recited, almost a direct quote from "The Improved and Updated History of CIA's Most Wanted".

"Very good, Ms. Lee. What can appearances can he be identified by, Ms. Alvarez?" Mr. Solomon fired another question.

Evan answered immediately. "He has five irremovable silver teeth that are usually professionally covered up."

"Correct. According to our sources, Alexei Zaronsky has invented a new type of gas, and is going to try it out on the elite teenagers of the Upper East Side in Manhattan. You mission is simple: to find and capture him, disable the bomb and bring it back to Gallagher, where we will have our experts examine it, and then hand the new information to the CIA. And do that without being caught." Mr. Solomon paused. "The fate of New York rests in your hands. We don't know what the bomb will do, but it _will_ be deadly. " I could feel his gaze on us, and he didn't have to say anything else; the message was clear: _if you don't bring the bomb or Alexei Zaronsky back, not only will you fail, you will die. _I clenched my hands into fists. Not only was Sublevel Two a lot harder than Sublevel One, what we did also affected the world. Great.

"Take off your blindfolds, ladies," Mr. Solomon said. I slid the tight, uncomfortable blindfold off, and blinked in the bright light of the van. Mr. Solomon slid folders towards each of us. "Your legends. Live them. You have one and a half minutes to memorize every single fact about your cover."

The van was silent as each girl read her cover and became someone else. I skimmed my folder, committing every detail to memory.

**Name: Cassandra Banks**

**Age: 18 years old**

**Date of Birth: February 21****st**

**Characteristics: Loves dancing, snobby, rich, leader of gang, perfectionist, can't keep hands off of boyfriend.**

Wait. What? Boyfriend? I stared at the page blankly, questions racing in my mind. Boyfriend. Boyfriend. I, I mean Cassandra, has a boyfriend? Who? _Who?_

My eyes scanned the page again.

**Status: In a close relationship with Luke Gordon**

Luke Gordon? I glanced at Bex's folder, my head spinning.

**Name: Rebecca Sanders**

**Age: 18 years old**

**Date of Birth: January 18****th**

**Characteristics: Loves dancing, calm but with a hot temper, and rich, best friend to Cassandra, in sweet relationship with boyfriend.**

**Status: Gooey relationship with Geoffrey Landon. **

Before I could say anything to Bex, my folder disappeared from my hands, and I looked up to see Mr. Solomon smiling at us with our neatly stacked folders beside him. He still needed to teach us how to do that.

"Time's up, ladies," he said, and the van screeched to a stop. "Use your memory, and everything you need will be in your rooms. Good luck. And we won't see you for dinner tonight." He opened the door, and we were all ushered out. The bright sun burned my eyes, and I shielded my eyes from the glare.

"Oh, and ladies, stay on your toes. The fate of New York rests in your hands. You might see a few acquaintances today. Remember who to trust." Mr. Solomon called, and then the van zoomed off.

I looked at Bex. We stared at each other for half a second, while the rest of my sisters adjusted to the sunlight. In that half a second, I knew we both thought the same thing.

Blackthorne Boys. We were going to see them again. Soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"Mr. Solomon said 'rooms'. I'm guessing we need a hotel," Eva said, looking around.

"I think we found one," Bex raised her eyebrows. I looked behind me, and knew she was probably right. Mr. Solomon wouldn't have accidentally dropped us off in front of The Four Seasons Hotel, would he? I noticed we were attracting a few strange looks from passersby, so I motioned for us to go in. Tina bounced up excitedly, and walked into the hotel, everyone else on her heels.

The hotel was huge. Almost every surface was gold or made of mahogany. There were a group of plush silk armchairs and sofas to the right, with a mirror covering the wall. To the left was a spiraling mahogany staircase, a grand piano, more chairs, the concierge, and another giant mirror covering the wall. Tina headed directly towards the reception, which was to the right.

"We have four rooms booked under Solomon," Bex told the stern looking receptionist, guessing. She must've guessed correct, since the receptionist just eyed her over her rimless glasses, and put four fancy white envelopes on the counter.

"Is there a Ms. Banks, Ms. Stanley (Courtney Bauer), Ms. Andrews (Mick Morrison), and Ms. Rhys (Tina Walters) among you?" the receptionist nodded. We nodded, and she reluctantly handed over the envelopes. I noticed there were our covers' names on the back of the envelopes. We headed to our rooms in the assigned pairs (Bex and I were together, no surprise).

"Room 8550," Bex muttered.

"We'll meet downstairs in an hour," I told my sisters. I had a feeling we would need the time, and I didn't know why. It was my "Spy Senses" again.

Each pair got off on their floor, and soon, it was only Bex and I in the fancy gold elevator.

"So when do you think we'll see them?" Bex asked me. I didn't need her to say it out loud to know she was talking about the Blackthorne Boys.

"I don't know," I answered quietly, excitement bubbling up inside me. I didn't want to get over excited, but it was hard to control my emotions. Bex bit back a smile. There was a "ding", and the elevator doors opened. We walked down the hallway, the thick carpet muffling our almost silent footsteps.

We reached our room. Before I even opened the door, I knew something was off. At the same time, Bex and I pressed our ears to the door, and I heard the distinct sound of a TV, in _our_ room.

I slid the glossy black card into the slit, and pushed the door open. Or room was obviously a suite. We passed a nice marble bathroom with a giant tub and fluffy towels, and a living room with two sofas and a coffee table with a plate of uneaten fruit on it, before we came to the bedroom. We snuck in quietly, and peeked into the room. I froze.

There were two queen-sized beds in the room, with two all-too-familiar boys lying on them, staring at the TV.

Zach.

Grant.

In our room.

"Hello again, Gallagher Girl," Zach said, looking up and cocking an eyebrow. Oh, and don't forget smirking. I felt my insides melt, but didn't show it. But still, we must've looked like idiots, two highly trained future government spies standing in the middle of a suite in the Four Seasons Hotel with their mouths hanging open, because Grant burst out laughing. Bex stayed frozen beside me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked them. Grant immediately stopped laughing, and rolled his eyes.

"I thought she was supposed to be a genius," he whispered loudly to Zach. I ignored him, keeping my eyes on the smirking Zach.

"Spy," he said in a "duh" tone, pointing to himself. I sighed. Should've seen that coming.

"Yeah, but this is _our_ room," Bex snapped. I knew half of her didn't want the neat freak boys in here, but another half was excited to see Grant.

"Aw, Bexy, come give Grant a hug." Grant opened his arms. I felt Bex's mood change, and I sighed. Bex ran into his arms, tackled him, and pinned him onto the bed.

"What is the real reason you're here?" she asked him.

"We're on a mission," Grant cried. "Ouch. That hurts Becky."

Bex loosened her hold for a second. "Becky?"

"Yeah, you're Rebecca Sanders. My girlfriend." Grant said. Bex let go of him, and stared at me. Oh no! Half of me screamed. Oh yes! Another half yelled in joy.

Zach smiled his annoying smile, and patted the bed next to him. "So, Cassie, I believe this is yours. From Solomon." He held up a black suitcase. I sat down on the edge of his bed, facing Bex. I took the bag from him.

"Thanks, Luke," I smiled sweetly, and then rolled my eyes. Bex adjusted her position so she was just sitting next to Grant. I dumped the contents of the suitcase onto the floor. A pile of colored fabric, four pairs of shoes, a few weapons, and comms units disguised as earrings fell out.

"You should get changed now, Gallagher Girl," Zach said, "It's going to take you a while to look like _this_." He held up my, I mean Cassandra's ID. I was extremely well made-up in the picture, and I glared at him. He shrugged.

"You know, he's right, Cammie," I heard a familiar voice say. I whipped my head around, and saw Macey smiling at me.

"Macey!" Bex and I cried. We hugged.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"How did you get here?" Bex fired.

Macey laughed. "Well, they needed someone to help you with your makeup. And who do you think picked out the clothes you are abusing?" She said, picking the pile of clothes up. "Anyways, Zach is right. You'd better get changed. We've got work to do!" She laughed, but I knew she was serious. Bex and I followed her into the bathroom, leaving the boys to watch TV.

…

"MACEY MCHENRY I CANNOT WEAR THIS!" I screamed. I held up a _strapless red _top. Yes, strapless and red. "Macey! What were you thinking?"

"Oh relax, Cam, I thought it'd be a nice déjà vu set up. Besides, you can totally rock it. Cassandra would love it," Macey said, working on Bex's makeup calmly. I mashed my lips together, and knew there was no point in arguing with her. I grumbled a bit to myself. We all had to make sacrifices, right?

"Wait, don't I need a strapless bra?" I asked her. Macey looked around.

"I packed you one," she muttered, "Where is it?"

"I BELIEVE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THIS, LADIES," I heard Grant yell. The door opened a crack, and something red and lacy flew into the bathroom. I heard the boys' snickers outside, and I felt my face turn as red as the garment in hand. Grant, or Zach, had thrown my BRA into the room.

"Oh, there it is," Macey said. "Oops." She smiled apologetically.

"Right, oops," I mumbled. Quickly, I changed into my shirt and dark skinny jeans. Macey did my makeup, while Bex examined our next outfit.

"Ooh," She said, holding up a strappy purple top, "Pretty." Then she froze. "Uh, Cammie, you might want to check this out."

I stared at her. I stared at the thing in her hand. Yes, thing. It was shapeless and looked like a bag with two thin spaghetti straps. And the scary thing was, it was short, really, really, really short. It would only reach a quarter of my thighs.

"Oh. My. Gosh. Macey, I will kill you." I said seriously. I couldn't wear that!

"That's your p—" Macey cut off. "Never mind, Cam. That is your formal wear for tonight." She went back to brushing something on my cheeks.

"Tonight? How long are we staying?" I asked her.

"Well, the night." Macey answered absentmindedly. She pulled back to look at me, and nodded. I looked in the mirror. I didn't look like Cammie Morgan. I didn't look like the Chameleon. Chameleons couldn't wear things strapless and red. But Cassandra Banks could. Bex, looking amazing behind me, nodded, and we walked out of the bathroom.

"Nice," Grant whistled. "I almost don't recognize you." Bex slapped him on the shoulder.

"We should go, your classmates are waiting," Zach said. I couldn't help but notice he looked good. Really, really good. The boys had changed into button down shirts and nice jeans. I realized he was right.

"C'mon," I said, slipping a few Napotine patches into my purse, along with a silent but deadly gun. I put my strappy (and uncomfortable) red heels on, and tottered on after Macey, Bex, and Grant. (Macey was supposed to join in on the mission, her cover was to be Marissa Mons, and since she was too recognizable, she had to wear color contacts and a wig).

"Hold on, Gallagher Girl," Zach said, taking my arm. I felt tingles where his fingers were on my skin. He must've forgotten I am completely capable of throwing him out of the window, even in my heels.

The elevator ride was silent. Already, Grant and Bex, I mean Geoffrey and Rebecca, were making out. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Macey was fidgeting with her wig and staring at herself in the elevator's mirrored doors. I stood in front of Zach.

"You know, maybe we should start acting like a couple," he whispered in my ear.

"How?" I asked him.

"You tell me, you're the one who's been in a relationship before."

"You haven't?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Fine, then," I slipped my hand into his. I couldn't help but notice how warm and big his hand was…

Just then, there was another "bing", and I tried to stomp off the elevator. That is until Zach, I mean Luke, pulled me back, and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Patience, Cassie," he said. That's when I noticed it wasn't the first floor yet. Three heavily made up girls in designer clothes around our age walked in. I huffed impatiently. I was supposed to be spoiled, right? Suddenly, there was a loud trilling noise, and all three girls dug into their purses and flicked open their Sidekicks at the same time. It was hilarious, and I could tell Macey and Zach were holding back laughs.

Two of the girls, one with thick black hair, the other with curly red hair, put their phones back, slightly disappointed, while the other, a tall blond, started typing rapidly.

"So what are you going to wear to the Kiss on the Lips party tonight, Mal?" the redhead asked, picking invisible lint off her shirt.

"Oh, I don't know yet. I got a manicure already, I'm going for hair and makeup now. It's so hard to choose, I mean, _everyone _is going to be there. Everyone who's a somebody, at least." She said, examining her shiny blood red nails. Zach leaned his head on my shoulder, and I felt his hot breath on my neck. I half-heartedly listened to their conversation, automatically memorizing it, just in case. Macey looked like she was brushing back her hair, but I knew she was turning on her comms unit. Zach fiddled with my earring and the top button of his shirt, and knew he was turning ours on. I could hear Mick and Tina talking, and heard Kim say she and Courtney were on the way. Anna was buying drinks, and Eva was looking for her purse.

"I know, but I'm going to wear orange. It looks great on me, and brings out my hair. Besides, it is _in_, according to Sandra," the redhead stated, flicking her wildly curly hair over her shoulder. I saw her eye Zach, and felt a pang of jealously. Macey rolled her eyes. According to Macey, the "in" colors were purple and gold.

"Wait, _you _talked to Sandra? _The _Sandra van Hooton, the hottest, most popular girl in New York? Other than that McHenry girl, but she's gone to some fancy boarding school. Whatever," I saw Macey roll her eyes again, and I smiled. The girl glared at Macey, and went on, "I can't believe _you_ talked to _Sandra van Hooton._"

"Well, I did," the redhead said, indignantly. I guessed this Sandra person must be pretty popular.

The elevator dinged again, and I stomped out, Zach following me. I could tell he was smirking, event though I couldn't see him. I spotted my sisters, and marched toward them. I realized Bex and Grant weren't behind me, and whipped around. Sure enough, there they were, still by the elevators, lips glued together. I sighed.

"I got it," Macey muttered. She whispered something in Bex's ear, and Bex immediately pulled back, a horrified look on her face. Then, Macey grabbed Bex and Grant by the shoulder, and (with surprising strength), pulled them both over toward us.

"Nice," I raised my eyebrows. "What'd you say to Bex?"

Zach rolled his eyes. "Wasn't it obvious?"

"Uh, no," I shook my head.

"Never mind," he said breezily. That's when I noticed my sisters staring at me.

"Oh, right, the Blackthorne Boys are joining us," I whispered. "Macey too."

"OMG," Tina's eyes were wide with shock. I sat down on the armchair next to Kim Lee, and spaced out as my classmates discussed what they knew and what we were supposed to do next. Suddenly, I froze. I felt a large, warm hand on my THIGH. MY THIGH.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" I whisper/screamed at Zach. He smiled innocently.

"Nothing, _darling."_

I narrowed my eyes, my whole body tensing.

"Relax, Cammie, it's not like I'm digging nails into your skin," Zach whispered. Nails I could take. Hands on thighs, on the other hand…

That's when I saw him. A man, dressed casually, almost too casually. He was yawning, his head tilted up, his eyes closed. In the giant mirror, I could see his reflection perfectly. Zach froze, and I knew he saw the man. The man with five expertly covered up silver teeth, but to a highly trained spy, it was too easy to tell the difference.

"We have an eyeball," Courtney muttered. She examined her nails, but I knew she was pointing.

"We need a plan…"Macey muttered. Even Bex, who had been previously making out with Grant (again. Their covers were too easy for them, weren't they?), lifted her head up and smiled.

**A.N. Okay, so this is the second chapter (obviously). I put some more Zammie action in. Hope you liked it. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but I have a really busy schedule. Next chapter will probably be up by this weekend. Oh, and thank you all for the heart-warming reviews! 3 They made my day. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Just then, a familiar figure walked by. Way too familiar. I had to look at Anna Fetterman (who was "Anastasia Langston". Why did we have such strange names? Note to self: Ask Macey) to make sure she was still with us, and not walking past. The woman walking by was a receptionist, and could be Anna's twin. Identical twin. I looked at Bex, and by her grin, I knew a devious plan was forming in her head…

"Anna," she whispered (was Anna an okay nickname for Anastasia?), putting her hand on Anna's purse lightly. I knew she was handing her a Napotine patch, "Please? You know what to do."

Anna nodded lightly, her body tense. I knew the woman was her long lost sister, and it hurt her to do this to her. I smiled sympathetically. I handed her an almost invisible camera and bug. She nodded again, and followed her sister into a closet. I sighed, leaned back, and closed my eyes. My internal clock told me it was long past lunchtime, and my stomach growled slightly in response. I heard Bex giggle beside me, and I nudged her.

"So what are we going to do? We don't even know where Mr. Alexei Zaronsky is going to try his bomb out," Mick asked quietly. Tentatively, I leaned my head on Zach's shoulder. For cover's sake. I immediately regretted it. Zach's hand, which was still ON MY THIGH, started tracing random patterns. I ignored the tingly feelings, and tensed.

"Luke, what are you doing, darling?" I whispered. He didn't answer. I opened my eyes, and he was smirking. Again.

"I believe I know where he's going to hit," Grant answered. I realized his words had a double meaning, since Macey started laughing quietly. Grant winked at me, and, even with my spy training, my mouth dropped. "Somewhere where _everyone_, _everyone who's a somebody_ will go."

I caught on quickly. The rest of my sisters looked confused, though. Grant smiled victoriously, as if he should get a medal for outsmarting the Gallagher Girls. I rolled my eyes, and spotted something useful, other than Anna, who had tapped Alexei Zaronsky on the shoulder (successfully planting the bug and camera under almost hidden near his collar), and was asking him if he wanted any coffee. I saw a big, glossy poster.

"Look," I tilted my head in that direction. I saw Tina, who was sitting across from me, take out her compact and "dust her face", which meant she was looking behind her. Her eyes widened, and she nodded slightly, before closing the compact. Mick examined her iPhone (where did she get one of those?), which was reflective, and nodded slightly too.

The fancy, over-done poster gleamed near the elevators.

**The Kiss on the Lips Party**

**Tonight, 8 pm, at the Four Seasons Hotel Grand Ballroom**

**Be There Or Be Square**

**The Party of the Year**

**Invited Guests ONLY**

**Hosted by Sandra van Hooton**

**(A.N. So I know that is kind of hard to read. So here:**

**The Kiss on the Lips Party**

**Tonight, 8 pm, at the Four Seasons Hotel Grand Ballroom**

**Be There or Be Square**

**The Party of the Year**

**Invited Guests ONLY**

**Hosted by Serena van Hooton)**

"Oh, so _that's_ what those people were talking about," Eva muttered.

"Yeah, on the elevator, there were these guys debating on what they should get their girlfriends for the 'important event' tonight," Courtney added.

"This is like a Gossip Girl episode," Tina murmured dreamily. That's when I realized why everything felt so familiar. The party, the names, the clothes… Tina always watched Gossip Girl when she had free time, and occasionally I'd caught a few episodes. I nodded in agreement. Then Anna's sister walked out of a closet, and exactly five minutes later, Anna herself walked out casually. We congratulated her quietly.

"OMGEE SANDRA!" a high-pitched voice squealed. I stared into the mirror, clamping my legs together (Zach's hand had started to move again. Hello, I was wearing pants. I totally caught Tina ogling and Macey raising her eyebrows a few times already). I saw a short, curly haired brunette in thee inch Prada heels run (as quickly as she could in shoes like those) toward a tall supermodel like blond I assumed was "the" Sandra van Hooton. She had wavy blond hair, sharp blue-green eyes, the perfect bone structure, and was decked out from the scarf around her head to her super tall heels in designer. She slipped of her sunglasses and rolled her eyes at the shorter girl.

"Thanks a lot, Alyssa," she snapped. I could tell she wasn't your ray of sunshine.

"Oops, sorry Sandra. It's just, what with the party tonight…" the girl blabbered on and on about hair and makeup appointments and last minute decorations. Sandra appeared not to be listening. But my spy senses were tingling (darn, every time I thought that, I would get that annoying picture of Peter Parker stuck in my head), and I knew she was paying attention. Rapt attention. Something was off. Normal people couldn't do that. Right? I felt like I'd seen her before somewhere… Something was wrong. Then she spotted us. At first, shock flickered across her face, then suspicion. She quickly changed her expression, and smiled. At Zach. I felt a pang of jealousy that surprised me, even though I am the one sitting next to Zach. Sandra model-walked over, her hips swinging. As soon as she was within a five-foot radius, I could smell her perfume.

"Hello, my name is Sandra van Hooton. Are you new around here?" Although she was facing us, I knew she was only talking to Zach—I mean Luke. Her eyes passed over me, as if I were a piece of unimportant furniture, part of the background. I was used to that, but I bet Cassandra wasn't, since anger flared up inside me. Instead of letting Zach answer, I beat him to it.

"Oh, yes, we are," I said coolly, tilting my head and raising my eyebrows slightly. Sandra looked directly at me for the first time, and narrowed her eyes. Her eyes lingered on Zach's hand (that was still on my thigh) for a moment too long.

"I see," she replied just as coolly. "Well, duty calls, I'll see you around." She smiled at Zach, and only Zach. A cold glare was sent in my direction, but I just smiled.

"Okay," Mick said, as soon as Sandra was out of hearing distance. She cracked her knuckles. "Time for plan CSHPASW."

…

Plan CSHPASW was Plan Crash Sandra van Hooton's Party And Save The World. The Tails, Tina, Mick, and Eva, had been sent to follow Alexei Zaronsky, while The Processers, Kim and Anna, were analyzing everything we'd taped and heard. Macey was busy getting Team Crashers (Zach, Bex, and me) ready for the party. And Grant was his own team, The Crawler. He was supposed to crawl through the air vents in the hotel, and since we'd already figured out the guards will stand right under the air vents, he'll just jump down and knock them out, letting us in to the party. Simple. The Tails were supposed to follow The Subject through the Staff entrance and be part of the "see all hear all" team of waitresses at the party. The rest of the plan was simple, get The Subject out of the party and disable the bomb, then disappear and bring him and the new gas back to school. But the prep work for us was torture.

"Sit still!" Macey commanded. I tried to stop squirming in my seat in front of the giant mirror in our bathroom. The liquid eyeliner she was putting on me stung my eyes. After that, she put a coat of sparkly eyeliner on that made me look a lot less like Cammie the Chameleon, the girl no one sees, and a lot more like Cassandra Banks, the snobby, popular girl. I'd rather be anyone—Tina, Mick, and Eva were getting the local gossip, Kim and Anna were still analyzing, and Zach and Grant were watching TV in the other room (again. Why were they so lucky? Just a suit, that was easy on easy off). Even Bex was just sitting on the edge of the bathtub, smiling and eating a bar of chocolate. Unfair.

After a lot of painting and dusting my face, I had to change into my "party outfit" that Macey had kept hidden until that moment.

"Drum roll, please," Macey called from outside the bathroom. Bex put down her chocolate bar (where'd she get that? I was famished), and started patting her legs.

"Ta-da!" Macey said in a singsong voice.

"Uh, okay," I said. Macey held up a shapeless gold top with two thin straps. "Where are the pants?"

"I THOUGHT SHE WAS A GENIUS!" I heard Grant yell.

"Isn't it obvious, Gallagher Girl?" Zach appeared in the doorway, smirking. What was I missing? Macey rolled her eyes, and Bex laughed.

"Cammie…" Macey said slowly, as if she was explaining something to an infant, "This is a _dress_."

"What? No way. Nuh-uh. I will _not _wear that_ thing_, unless there are pants to go with that _top_. No way. Never in my life. Nope." I shook my head vigorously. I would not wear that.

"Cammie! You're going to mess up your hair!" Macey chided. I really didn't care about the fact my hair was pinned to my head in about a thousand bobby pins. That was the least of my worries.

"It's just a dress," Zach smirked. "Is Gallagher Girl afraid of it?"

"No," I rolled my eyes. I stood up, and held the dress against myself. "Hello, this thing barely reaches my thighs! Are you crazy, Macey? I so cannot wear this!"

Bex studied me. "Well, technically, it goes to about an eighth of your thigh."

"Exactly!" I wanted to scream. And I thought these madmen were my friends.

Grant whistled. "Looking good, Cammie." He poked his head in. "Hey Bexy, are you going to wear something like that? That'd be nice."

I rolled my eyes when Bex fluttered her eyelashes. Blah. Bigger problems here.

"Wear it." Macey demanded, her eyes narrowing in a wear-the-thing-or-else way that was creeping me out. With her hair in a ponytail and that big diamond in her nose and her supermodel body, Macey might not seem like the most threatening person. But I knew she had Bex, and that Macey would get _anything and everything_ she wanted.

"Maybe you can't wear it, Cam. You probably can't." Macey reasoned. "But like with the red top, you're now wearing it. Cassandra Banks is. And Cassandra Banks has a mission tonight."

…

**A.N. So this is kind of more of a filler chapter. The next chapter will probably be up tomorrow. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Constructive criticism is welcome. If you are an author, you'll understand how great it is to get reviews. Lots of love.**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

So here I am, in hidden from the guards and passing partygoers by a wall. Zach just peeked around the corner, and now his face is a shade whiter.

"So?" I prompted. I squeezed his hand. Whoa, did I just do that?

"They're spies. Not good." He narrowed his eyes.

"Doesn't make a difference." Bex shrugged. "Grant will knock them out right away, spies or not."

I wished I were as confident as she was. But then again, she was wearing a strappy purple top and a black miniskirt (it was longer than mine. It reached around mid-thigh. Why was life so unfair?), while I was wearing a gold top with no pants. And, the three-inch heels gold heels I was wearing totally should have been banned. They were dangerous to walk around in.

"Relax, Cammie." Macey whispered. "Everything will be okay. I owe Sandra the Owl a punch. Maybe in the stomach, or maybe a slap on the face. What do you think?" Apparently, Sandra and Macey had the whole rival thing on. And since Sandra's last name was van _Hoot_on, Macey's team called her Sandra the Owl.

I decided to ignore her. How was I supposed to relax? "How are you doing, Team Tails?" I said into my necklace/comms unit.

"Great. We're in." Eva said.

"According to popular word, Alexei Zaronsky is now Alexander Griffin, Sandra's father's friend." Tina added.

"He's in here too, near the bar. He's drinking tonic water. You know what that means." Mick said quietly. Then I heard her ask someone if they wanted anything to drink.

"Tonic water, replacement drink when you want people to think you're drinking when you're not." Zach said quietly. Bex narrowed her eyes.

"That's right, his partner told him to drink tonic water," Anna added.

"How are you, Team Crawler?" Bex asked in a gooey voice.

"It's G-man. The one man team," Grant corrected. "I'm great! Almost there, 139 seconds left until I'm gonna beat those big apes to pulp." Grant said cheerfully. He was probably the only person I knew that could be cheerful while crawling through cramped laser weaved air vents in a "penguin suit". I couldn't help smiling.

"Hold still," Macey demanded. She took out a compact and started brushing more powder on my face. My good mood vanished. Great.

"How much makeup do I need?" I complained. We had to save New York, and she was fussing about makeup.

"You're entering high society, Cammie. You have to look the part. These people gossip about everyone and everything, and they know all. You have to keep your guard up." Macey said seriously. I knew she wasn't only talking to me, but to the whole class.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. Just peachy.

Zach adjusted his tie, Bex popped another piece of chocolate into her mouth (where did she get all that chocolate?), Macey put her compact away (finally), and I just stood there. Questions swirled in my head. What were Zach and I? Was it just a cover? What was real? I tried to push the thoughts away, telling myself this is not what an agent thinks before an all important mission begins. I should be going over the plan, checking for any spots that might jeopardize our chance of succeeding.

"Shall we?" Zach asked me. His eyes bore into mine, unwavering. _Is this for real?_ I wanted to scream. But instead, I just buried the question deep inside me, locked it away in a drawer along with Cammie Morgan, the Chameleon. I became Cassandra Banks, girlfriend to Luke Gordon. Bex became Rebecca Sanders, Macey became

I placed accepted the arm Luke had extended to me, and we walked toward the guards, casually and "laughing" at a joke Marissa (Macey) had said. The gaurds seemed preoccupied, staring at our faces. I knew they were memorizing ours, noticing how they'd never seen us before. I heard a faint thud, a loud bang, and two slaps, and in just 9 seconds Geoffrey (Grant) had knocked the gaurds out cold. Bex, who'd been sent to check the entrance and stall any on coming guests (by telling them that if they'd wait just two minutes, Sandra personally would come and welcome them, giving them each a gift) ran towards us, and we all slipped into the party. Grant unstuck the Nicotine patches, but when the befuddled guards even fluttered an eyelid, we were long gone, melted into the party.

Luke (Zach) was sweet-talking Sandra (apparently, it was part of "the mission", according to Zach. The mission to what, make me jealous?). Of course. While Geoffrey and Rebecca were dancing the night away. Just great, right? Tiara (Tina), Evangeline (Eva), and Michaela (Mick) were still being waitresses, and Kelsey (Kim) Chloe (Courtney) and Anastasia (Anna) had joined the party. Marissa was teaching some younger girl how to do her eyeliner properly. And I was keeping an eye on Alexei, who was sitting next to me at the bar. I sipped my tonic water, watching the party play out in front of my eyes, memorizing each face.

"Hello, beautiful," someone said.

A suspicious looking figure walked by, and I could tell he was carrying a gun. A few people like him had been hovering near The Subject. I took even more care in burning everything about him into my mind. Black silk suit. Polished, dressy shoes. Scar on left ear. Watery green eyes. Messy, gelled hair…

"I'm talking to you," that voice said again. It took me a moment to realize that the guy was talking to me. Some random stranger had called me "beautiful". I blinked in shock, and turned around, away from The Subject. A familiar guy (familiar was because I'd already memorized his face. He was well proportioned, with deep blue eyes, and light brown hair. His name was Eric) was staring at me.

"Hello," I said lightly. Snobbishly.

"I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?" Eric asked me.

"Yes." I answered. I could tell The Subject was paying close attention. Then Tina came over, and took my drink away. She was helping me. Kind of. She brushed my hand, and expertly passed me a note. I nodded at her.

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm Eric," he grinned at me. He was kind of cute… But I had a boyfriend. "What's your name?"

"Cassandra." I sighed, and examined my nails.

"Well, Cassandra, may I have this dance?" Eric held his arm out. I froze, stuck. Was I supposed to dance with someone other than my boyfriend? In my peripherals, I could see Zach doing the electric slide with a laughing Sandra. Payback, darling, payback.

"Alright," I took his hand, and started moving my body to the music that the live band was blaring. Madame Dabney had taught us dancing like this before, though she'd called it "vulgar and a disgrace to the dancing community". I smiled. I caught Zach staring, and blew him a kiss. He looked shocked.

"What are you doing?" I heard his voice in my comms unit.

"I'm having some fun, sweetheart. Besides, Tiara is keeping an eye on _him_." I said through my smile. I felt Eric's hands on my hips (Gross!), and knew Zach was watching.

We danced until the song ended with a loud bang, and I turned around to say goodbye to Eric.

"Another dance, Cassandra?" Eric asked.

"I believe she promised me this dance," I heard Luke/Zach say. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind me ear, and smiled.

"Sorry, Eric." Then I took Zach's arm, and we started dancing.

"What was that for?" Zach asked.

"What was what for?" I asked back innocently. Zach rolled his eyes. He leaned down, and I could feel his lips brush my ear. (Oh. My. Gosh.) My brain stopped thinking. His hand brushed his tie and then my earring, before resting on my shoulder.

"You know what I'm talking about, Gallagher Girl." Zach's hot breath swirled in my ear.

"Huh…" I breathed out, "I guess I do…" the words came out mushy.

"You know, Gallagher Girl, that wasn't very nice of you." My insides turned all warm and fuzzy.

"Yeah…" What were we talking about again? This was not like me.

"Exactly. So why'd you do it?"

"Yup…" I whispered. Huh? What? "You're jealous." My eyes slid close. All I could hear was Zach's steady breathing, his heart beat, the only thing I could feel was his warm arms around me…

We danced for who knows how long. My internal clock had finally shut up. Bliss.

That's when I heard a terrifying, bloodcurdling scream, and I came down from the clouds.

We were on a mission. It was necessary to succeed. The room appeared again before my eyes, all those innocent (snobby, but… still) people. We couldn't fail. I could feel Zach beside me, but other than that, I couldn't see Grant, Mick, Eva, Macey, Tina, Kim, Anna, Courtney, or Bex. Or Sandra van Hooton. Or… Alexei Zaronsky.

No. No. No. No. No. This is all my fault.

Zach and I rushed toward the sound, the partygoers scrambling and whispering in confusion. Because of our training, we found the room where the scream came from first. It was hidden behind the bar. I scanned the crowd again, and didn't see a trace of my sisters or Grant. I bit my lip, and controlled my thoughts and feelings. I put my hand on the cold, gold handle of the door, and then felt Zach's hand on top of mine. I looked at him, and together, we pushed the door open.

**A.N. Ooh, cliffy. Don't worry, the next chapter will be up tomorrow. Hopefully…. I won't keep you guys waiting too long. This chapter was pretty short, and I'm sorry. It just felt like a good place to end. Not much drama here. Anyways, read and review! Remember, constructive criticism is welcome. I want to improve my writing. Any tips? Lots of love. **

**Lexi**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

**Disclaimer: Okay, I realize in the last few chapters, I haven't put a disclaimer. Sorry about that. Please don't sue me. Haha. Anyways, I don't own anything, and am not Ally Carter. There.**

I was tensed and ready for all the things my strangely imaginative mind could think of. Broken bodies, trails of blood, more bloodcurdling screams, a torture chamber, a deadly fume of gas… I didn't want to think of whose bodies that would be broken, whose blood might be on the floor, whose screams were echoing throughout the building, whom was being half tortured to death, whom the gas was being tested on…

But instead of light and an image from a horror movie, I was wrapped in darkness. Darkness so black and so suffocating. Someone pushed us into the room, and slammed the door shut. I caught a glimpse of a shadow, a silhouette, before I felt arms grab me. I tried to fight, and I could feel Zach struggling beside me, but it was no use. Before long, I lost control of my senses.

…

"She's awake." Those were the first words I heard as my world slowly came back to me. Painful memories flooded my head, my missing friends, dances Zach and I had shared, the safety of New York citizens. I opened my eyes, and was blinded by the bright light. It was as if someone was shining one of those florescent lights right in my eyes. I shut my eyes again, my eyes burning. Slowly, I opened my eyes and let them adjust to the light. My vision was fuzzy and everything seemed to be shaking, but I could tell I was in a cold white room, and there were two men in black standing above me. I saw none of my friends.

"So, Cassandra Banks. Tell us your real name," the man on the right said in a menacing voice.

I mashed my mouth shut.

"Looks like she isn't going to tell us, Frank," the other man said.

Frank cocked his head. "Alright then, little spy. You have something of ours. Your little teammates took it from us, and we know they took it back to your school. We want it back. Tell us where and what your school is. We know it's a school for spies. That's obvious. Tell us. Or else you're never going to see your little boyfriend over there." The man gestured dramatically to my left. With much effort, I turned my head. There Zach was, tied and gagged up. Unlike me, he couldn't even move his head. My own binds were tight and cutting into my skin, and I knew his were tighter. I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't say anything. Zach's eyes burned into mine, and he was telling me to keep my mouth shut. So I ground my teeth together, when I wanted to scream.

Frank saw this, and walked over to Zach. He pulled Zach to a standing position, grabbing a handful of his hair. Zach didn't even flinch, but I did. I knew I had to choose between Zach and the safety of my school. The safety of the world. It seems like an easy choice, right? But what if your world is Zach? For a split second, I hesitated. In that second, I knew Zach was telling me everything would be okay, I shouldn't say anything. In that second, I saw the other man's hand move towards his gun, and knew they weren't joking. In that second, I knew that my sisters were safe, and that Alexei Zaronsky had been captured. Or else these two people wouldn't be here. I realized that New York was safe. For the time being.

Then I opened my mouth.

But before I could say anything, a familiar voice rang out.

"Cameron Morgan."

Sandra van Hooton walked into the room. Her long blond hair swirled behind her. And surprisingly? She was smiling.

"Cammie, you don't remember me, do you?" Sandra laughed. I looked harder. What was she talking about? Should I remember her? My spy senses were blaring warnings.

"Cammie Morgan. Her name is Cameron Morgan the Chameleon." Sandra stared at me. Zach stared at me in confusion. Sandra just stood there, and then she held up her arm. On it, was an all-familiar bracelet. I knew it wasn't there before. I would've seen it.

That's when everything came rushing back. It was like someone had punched, and the breath was knocked out of me. Suddenly, everything was clear. It was obvious, so obvious, how had I not seen it? Sandra van Hooton, what a joke! She wasn't Sandra van Hooton. Sandra laughed.

"Oh, now you remember." She shook her head. "Gallagher hasn't done much for you, has it?" She walked closer to me. "Cammie, Cammie, Cammie. I am so disappointed in you."

"Sam," I croaked. My mouth was dry. My throat burned. "Sam. Samantha Brooke Dawes."

Sandra nodded.

"I thought we were friends." I muttered. I knew it wouldn't work. But still, I had to try. At the same time, an idea formed in my head.

"Key word, darling: Were." Sandra/Sam mocked. "You left me. You abandoned me. What did you think I would do, just disappear into the shadows with the rest of them? You should've known better."

"I didn't abandon you!" I cried. I twisted my wrist (it was tied behind me). "You left Gallagher. You went away. You left me." I felt heat on my lower back.

"I didn't belong at Gallagher," Sandra/Sam snapped.

"Yes you did," I whispered. I tilted my wrist again, toward where Frank had dropped Zach. The men were arguing quietly in the corner, while Zach was just staring at me out of the side of his eye.

"No, I didn't. None of my parents were spies. I was nobody. You, you were always the best. Headmistress' daughter. Cammie the Chameleon. Top scores in everything." Sandra said wistfully. She looked up for a second, and that was all it took. The lasers Liz had installed in my bracelet cut through our ropes, and before Sandra could do anything, I pounced on her, at the same time kicking Frank in the place where the sun don't shine. Zach tackled the other guy, took two Napotine patches out of his pocket, and slapped them on each guard. Sandra didn't have time to react before I pinned her down. She struggled, but I did my special Bex-imitation chokehold on her.

"You weren't nobody, Sam. You were always someone. But you just ruined that." I squeezed tighter.

"I thought we were best friends." Sandra murmured quietly. Weakly.

"Me too." I told her. Then I let go, and looked at Zach. An alarm was blaring, and I could hear footsteps.

"We have to get out of here," Zach yelled over the alarms. I nodded. Quickly, we searched the room, looking for a way out. Everything was blocked with the highest technology. I didn't have my purse with me, and it would've been impossible to get through all the lasers. I looked at my bracelet, wishing it could be a gun or some usable weapon. All it could do was cut through ropes, though.

Suddenly, the door burst open. I got ready for a fight, taking one of my earrings off (it could be used as a weapon. I could flick it at someone and take their eye out. Hey, it was the best I could do), and Zach tensed beside me. He looked at me strangely. 5 armed men burst into the room, and one of them nodded.

But before I could do anything, hands closed around my neck from behind me. "I'm so, so, sorry, Gallagher Girl. It's—"

I didn't hear the rest. Then hands around my neck were so familiar. That voice was so familiar.

Zach. It was Zach.

Then everything went black. Again.

…

When I woke up, I wasn't in the same room. I was outside. In my dress, in winter. I opened my eyes, and looked around. I appeared to be in what looked like a snow-covered dump. So they dumped me like trash. Surprisingly though, I was alive. I sat up, and realized I was wearing a coat. A thick, heavy winter coat that had saved my life. Slowly, I stood up on wobbly legs. I took a whiff of the coat, and it smelled like Zach. At the thought, I immediately recoiled. Zach. Zach had choked me. What had happened? Why did he do that? Tears stung my eyes. I held them back. At least my sisters were safe. At least the gas was back at Gallagher. The citizens of New York were alive and well. And hopefully, I'd make it back to Gallagher safely. I was alive, right?

I looked around me. I saw a partly buried sign, and ran over to it, shaking out my legs. It said:

NEW YORK: 8 ½ MILES NORTH

I bit my lip, and got myself ready, physically and mentally. My stomach growled. My limbs ached. I shoved my hands in the pockets of the coat. Paper crumpled. Shocked, I reached around, and took out a piece of paper. I wiped the half-frozen tears of my cheeks.

Cammie,

I'm so, so sorry. I had to do it. For all of us. It was the only way.

Forgive me.

Love,

Zach

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They soaked the page, turning into ice as the slid down my face. My nose was runny, and my vision was blurred. My chest hurt, but I kept on walking. I forced my feet to move, I forced my lungs to breathe. And most of all, I forced my brain not to think. My stomach growled again. I shoved my hands back into my pocket, and heard more crumpling. I pulled something out again.

It was a bag of M&Ms.

…

A ruby red van greeted me as I dragged myself to the Four Seasons Hotel what seemed like hours and hours later. I was clutching the soaked note in one hand, the bag of M&Ms in the other. I felt like I was half dead. I stumbled to the familiar van and was pulled inside immediately.

I heard quiet whispers, and soft hands pressing different places of my body, checking for injuries. Was I injured? I didn't know. I didn't know much anymore. I wasn't Cassandra Banks anymore, I was back to Cammie Morgan. I wanted to disappear, and never be seen again. I felt a warm hand on my neck, and pain shot through me. My eyes were closed, and memories flashed before my eyes. Everything was so unbelievably clear now.

Samantha Dawes had been my best friend in grade school. When it was time to go to Gallagher, my mom knew I would have been devastated. Since Samantha had a genius IQ and was relatively good spy material, mom let her in. For the first semester, we were inseparable. But then, I made more friends, such as Liz, and Sam began to feel like a "nobody". So one day, she decided to leave. The only person she told was me, and we exchanged friendship bracelets. I never told my mom, so she never had a chance to give Sam memory-erasing tea. That was a big mistake. At the time, I didn't want Sam to forget me, so I forgot the most important thing: I was letting someone who knew about the school go free. I didn't realize that until later on. I got depressed, but then, I met Bex. And then, I became happier, and what with the extremely tough curriculum, I forgot about Sam.

Everything was my fault. The safety of Gallagher was still at risk. I sank deeper into myself, and breathing in Bex's familiar perfume, like when this all started, I fell asleep, never letting go of Zach's M&Ms or his note.

**A.N. Okay, I'm really sorry for the delay, I was really busy today, and I had a change of plot, so I had to rewrite a lot of the story. Hope you liked it! Read and review! I know it was kind of confusing, so basically, Sandra van Hooton was Cammie's former best friend, Samantha Dawes. Sandra van Hooton was a cover. Sam wanted revenge, so she teamed up with Alexei Zaronsky. Alexei Zaronsky was captured by the rest of the Gallagher Girls along with the bomb. Hope that makes things better. Lots of love. **


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

The first person I saw when I woke up in my warm, comfortable bed was someone I totally did not expect to see.

"Hi, Cassandra Banks," the person said, raising his eyebrows and smiling. He was leaning over me, and so his face was sideways. It was really, really strange.

"Uh, hi Eric," I muttered. What was he doing here?

"She's awake," he called, leaning back. I heard loud, fast footsteps, and Bex, Liz, and Macey burst into the room.

"CAMERON MORGAN IF YOU EVER DARE TO DO THAT TO ME EVER AGAIN I WILL BLOODY POUND YOU INTO BLOODY PULP!" Bex yelled at me. Then I was enveloped in a hug. I smiled, and hugged her back. My arms were sore and asleep, but that didn't matter.

"Bex, give her a break. Oh, Cammie, I'm so glad you're back! We were so worried about you!" Liz exclaimed. I felt her thin arms wrap around me.

"You. Ruined. That. Dress." Macey said sternly. Then she smiled. "At least you're back, Cam."

I laughed. The sound sounded and felt foreign to me. My friends must've understood, because they each went back to their own bunk, Macey shutting the door quietly.

"Cammie…" Liz started. Bex cut her off.

"Here's what happened. We went on with the plan, since you and Zach weren't answering your comms units." I realized it was because Zach had turned ours off. "And Alexei Zaronsky was getting suspicious. We had to act. We cornered him, disabled the bomb in less than 10 seconds, and then shipped him back to Gallagher. That's when we went back to look for you. But you were gone. We'd heard the scream, but we didn't know where it came from. Then we saw Eric. Apparently, Eric has been suspicious about Sandra van Hooton the whole time, so he followed you to Sandra's hideout. That was the cold room you and Zach were tied up in. He led us there, but by that time, all we saw was Zach strangling you. We wanted to burst through our hiding place in the wall and kill Zach and those stupid guards, but Grant stopped us. He said Zach had to have done it for a good cause." Bex stopped for breath, her eyes burning.

"So then they took you away, and they talked to Zach. We couldn't hear anything, so we left. All we know is that Zach is probably still with them." Macey continued on for Bex. "Eric then led us to the place he thought they'd dump you. You weren't there. We looked all over the city for you, but you were gone. We parked the van in front of the Four Seasons, just in case you came back. And you did. So now that leads us to here."

I blinked. Everything was so confusing. Then I told them my side of the story. They were appalled, and got my mom and Mr. Solomon. I was debriefed. Again. My throat burned every time I told the story.

"Get some sleep, kiddo," Mom said that night. I nodded, but I wasn't tired at all. Maybe that was because I'd slept for 3 days 14 hours in a row. But my mom didn't need to know that. Eric had left for Blackthorne. Apparently, he was now in on the spy secret, and was more than enthusiastic about going to a school for spies. He spent the weekends with his parents in New York, keeping an eye on Sandra, who acted like nothing went wrong.

But I knew better. She was planning something. Mom left, and for 2 hours, I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, letting the thoughts I'd blocked out of my head fill me. When I was sure everyone was asleep, I slipped out of bed. I grabbed the bag of M&Ms and the note on the table next to me, and shoved my feet into a random pair of shoes. I crept along the dark and deserted hallways of the familiar mansion. I stopped near the East Wing, and remembered the time when the Blackthorne Boys stayed there. It was back to normal now, and there was no sign that any boys had lived there. I hesitated in front of the Grand Hall, and it transformed into that cumulative exam, that ball, where Zach and I had danced. Then I crawled into my favorite place in the whole school.

It was a small, quiet tower room that no one had noticed except for me. At night, it seemed to soak up all the moonlight, and the room was as bright as in the day. I sat in the middle of the room, in the center of the moonlight, and slowly opened up the crinkled piece of paper.

How ironic it seemed, that Zach would sign off "Love, Zach". After all, he was the one who choked me. I'd never admitted it, out loud or to myself, that I loved Zach as well. But maybe I did. I smoothed my hand along the paper, and felt the dents in the paper where he'd pressed the pen into it. He was in a hurry, I concluded. But that was obvious. Right? I knew I should be angry with Zach. He hurt me, physically and emotionally.

Suddenly, my spy senses tingled. My head shot up, and I looked out the window. I shadow passed over, and then someone was sitting on the windowsill. A gust of cold air blew at my face. Then it was quiet again. I looked down at the bag of M&Ms in my hand. I didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Cammie." Zach said.

I didn't say anything. What was there to say? I just looked at him. Moonlight shone down from behind him, and his face was shadowed.

"What are you doing here?" I didn't mean to be harsh, but he must've taken it that way. He looked at his hands. I couldn't see his face clearly. "I mean, why aren't you at Blackthorne?"

He shook his head. "I can't go back. I snuck out. They're after me. I can't put people in danger like that."

Trying to choke me was putting me in danger. But I didn't say that out loud. "Why?" I asked him. He seemed to know what I meant.

"I'm sorry. It was the only way." He said. He'd said that before already. "You should be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you." I answered right away, the words not even startling me. I knew that.

"You should be." Zach looked away. I stood up. "Why not?"

I didn't answer. I stood before him, and he brushed his fingers along the bruise on my neck, light as a feather. This time, I didn't flinch, but he did.

"I'm sorry." He repeated. I shook my head.

"You have to go," I whispered. I put my hands in his. I stood on my toes and pressed my lips to his. My eyes slid closed, and his hands cupped my face (gently). My arms slid around his neck on their own accord, but then he pulled away.

"I have to go," he confirmed. "I'm sorry, Cammie. I love you."

And then he was gone. The cold air whipped around me. I leaned out the window, but I didn't see him. The moonlight seemed dimmer now, less bright, and less harsh. It was softer and warmer, and seemed to shimmer as it filtered down through the sparse clouds.

"Why am I not mad at you?" I asked him, and even though he'd disappeared, I felt like he could hear. He probably could. "I love you too. You stole my heart."

**A.N. This was the last chapter! I know it was short. Unfortunately, I'm not like those amazing authors who can write super long stories. If I do… Eventually, my writing will become even blander than it already is. Anyways, I can't believe I'm finished. It was kind of anticlimactic, since Cammie isn't awake for the most part. But Zach is… So I might write something from his POV. Would you like that? Zach's untold side of the story. How about a sequel? I'm thinking about something… After all, Samantha is still out there, and she's extremely mad and scheming. And, Zach still has to stay on the run, because Sam knows if she gets to Zach… She gets to Cammie. So, please read and review! Thanks to all of you, I probably would've stopped writing if I didn't have your support.**

**Lots of love, **

**Lexi**


	7. Author's Note Explanations

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so almost everyone is confused. I understand why. Since Cammie is out cold for a lot of the plot, we don't know what happened. Why did Zach have to choke Cammie? Why is Zach on the run? **

**Well, Zach is on the run because Sam is after him (he said in Chap 6 that he escaped from their evil clutches). Here's a little bit of Sam's mind: she is set on revenge and wants to use Zach. So that's why she's after him. And if he goes back to Blackthorne, then Sam will know that there's another spy school, which will put the spies in even more danger. **

**As for why Zach had to choke Cammie, I'm letting you guys think of your own reasons. I have my own version, in a secret drawer in my brain, but I'm not telling you all. Use your imagination. Not knowing makes it more interesting. And it should be fairly easy to guess why, if you read through the last few chapters. Think about it, Cammie's unconscious for a while and then wakes up… What happened when she was unconscious? I was going to write a story in Zach's POV about what happened then, but I think you all should use your own imagination. Hope that made things easier to understand. **

**I know my story was really short, and the plot was kind of messed up, and I'm sorry about that. I'm working on improving my writing. I'm thinking about writing a sequel… And I will if you are interested. Should I?**

**Lots of love,**

**Lexi**


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